Bent Roses Redux
by X-Mixer's Strange Library
Summary: Is there such a thing as a soul that can't find peace? Michael didn't think so. That was why he used his final wish to save her. Given one last chance to start anew, will it make a difference? Can Team RWBY stand between Zero and misery ever after? Or will fate run them through as well? Drakengard and RWBY crossover. Yuri, Yaoi and CANON-BREAKING!
1. Ashes to Ashes

**I do not own Drakengard 3 or RWBY. They belong to Taro Yoko and Mounty Oum.**

* * *

 **Ashes to Ashes;Prologue**

When the world comes knocking, hiding is rarely an option. In Zero's case especially, she had no choice but to answer. So she did...with violence, defiance and finally acceptance. From the beginning, she had been alone in this world.

Midgard, where superstition and chivalry ruled.

Her road had been long and weary, diffused with lies and subjugation. It was her choice that she find an end to such a path. An end for herself and for her sins. An end for a story of nothing and no one.

Alas, when dusk approached, Zero found she wasn't alone. The young fool had acquired an ally...a friend. Michael, the strongest of all dragons.

Millennia upon Millennia had rendered everything the dragon cared for to ash. One born with nothing aligned with another who lost everything. This seemingly worthless detail is where things begin.

For the Draconian Lord of nothing would see to it that the pauper had one last chance to gain a new hope.

This is a story of six sisters.

Five of whom brought peace to their world. But the sixth would see to the end of days, hungry from blood and misery. She could not rest until the others were dead and the past was finally absolved. No. Not absolved. Overwritten.

If only she'd known…

 **Cathedral City, Midgard's Capital**

"Man, woman, child, the elderly...Doesn't matter. Get in my way, I'll see you dead!" Zero bellowed, her voice bouncing off of ancient stone. Cathedral city. Her sister, One's, stronghold. It was lousy with her militia, of course.

"It's Zero!"

"The traitorous Intoner!"

"Demon!"

Yadda, yadda, yadda, blah, blah, blah. She definitely hadn't had _those_ insults screamed at her one-thousand times. _That day_.

She'd put up with it however. Today was a special day. Zero would finally be reunited with her sisters for the final time.

Lucky her, they were all here. Then again, why would she come crashing into the most heavily guarded city on dragon-back otherwise? One knew she'd be coming just like Zero knew they'd be here. With family, you just know.

Speaking of knowing, what was One thinking anyway? Flinging her soldiers at her knowing they wouldn't make a difference. Hadn't she defeated their former lord to _free_ them from misery? What were these fools doing, thinking they _could_ make a difference? Mortals should know their coil.

Their precious new overlord was an Intoner just like Zero. They knew the power of song and worshiped it and its carriers. Her sisters. So what could the maggots have been thinking?

Maybe they didn't understand the power first hand. If so, it was only right that she help them, then. Zero did what she did best:rage. Blood sprayed, limbs flew, bodies vaporized and through it all, Zero kept cutting, kept raging. This nonsense about saving the world would end today.

The albino would take back the power stolen. Her siblings, _those bitches,_ had suckled at her teat long enough. They would die here screaming, all of them.

Easier said than done. One, as the second oldest, was nothing if not crafty. Zero was soon face to face with automaton knights, Goliath crafted and controlled by magic. They threaten to abstain even her wrath but Michael would not allow it.

"Zero, go and defeat your sisters!" He boomed, flying in bashing one of the fiends aside.

"No!" Zero growled, pink eyes glowering. Even now, Michael needed to protect his ego. "You don't have the strength for this!"

"These puppets are no match for a dragon!" He chortled, knocking them around once more. "Go!"

The girl had never been one for being told what to do, but destiny called. "Don't you die on me…" She hissed before continuing onward.

This time, gore flew in greater volume. These loyal knights, worshipers of the Intoners, paid a heinous price for their faith.

Cloak and sabre dyed crimson, she reached the gate at long last.

The Grand Cathedral, from which the city got its name, loomed tall. And why not? This was the source of all magic in their world. Of course One would feel comfortable fighting her here, where they'd fought once before already.

Speaking of which, familiar crimson eyes framed by platinum blonde hair stared down on her from the church's peak. The eyes that never stopped hunting for peace. They made Zero sick. "One," she smiled grimly. "It's been a long time."

"Zero," her little sister stoic nature hadn't vanished. "I see you haven't changed. You're still insane."

"Aaaaahhh...Stop it. You're making me blush."

"That wasn't a compliment."

As expected, One wasn't by herself.

"Hey look it's, Zero!" Two cheered with a wave. "Hey Zero!"

"Ha ha...ha haha!" Three cackled vacantly.

"Zero, please stop this!" Four begged painfully. "This fighting is pointless; we're sisters!"

"Don't be such a prude, Four," Five chided. "A good cat fight really gets my juices going."

Yep. After all this time, they were still only headaches. For all the good it did, One sicked them on Zero. They were no match. All four of them could not beat her. She was the trunk and they were the branches. They returned to their perch beside the second oldest sister, beaten and bruised. Ever the diligent planner, the platinum blonde had seen this coming. She lifted a hand to the sky, "Gabriel."

A fiend hailed from the sky with a flash of light. It was a purple dragon, armored and chained. A Daemonic being. Wait...Yes, Zero recognized this beast. She was with One the day they fought that bastard, Bartas. Gabriella. Or what was left of Gabriella.

The albino wouldn't miss the opportunity to ridicule her upright sibling.

"Hey One," she gave a shit eating grin. "Did you really sacrifice Gabby just to turn her into this shell of a creature. Just to beat _me?_ " Zero mocked. "She must have really cared for you to let you use her dying wish for this. I never thought you'd take advantage of a friend like that. I'm almost proud!"

Zero got exactly what she wanted. One's calm mask was gone as her teeth became like fangs. "Shut up! I'm not subject to your judgement sister! Us Intoners swore to protect this world. Now you seek all our power for yourself!? It's shameful!"

"It's _my_ power, all of it!" Zero corrected while brandishing her sabre. Gabriel charged. The bastard was actually tougher than she expected. Of course it's be that way. Dragons and Intoners were natural enemies. The irony certainly wasn't lost on Zero. Not a single bit of it.

After calling on her song's might, the purple dragon went down at last. Or so she thought. The bastard actually _feigned_ death!

While her guard was down, a well aimed fire blast took off her arm and she collapsed. Almost in shock, gushing blood and gasping for breath, she persisted to crawl forward. No...she wouldn't come this far to go down like this. Not before it was all over. "You...eh...will **die!** " She roared.

"Finish her," One ordered her calmly, no longer threatened in the slightest. Not while her sister couldn't even stand.

Ever chivalrous, Michael came at the exact moment he was needed. "Zero!" He appeared from the sky behind her.

"FIRE!" His partner boomed with a vengeance. He gladly obliged. A phalanx of flame went spearing towards their enemies.

Though the other Intoners could be just as stubborn. They banded their songs together to shield One and Gabriel. The latter took the opportunity to strike back, ripping through the shield and Michael's own flame with a devilish inferno.

The greatest of all dragons didn't hesitate. He threw himself in front of Zero. As a last act, he would save her. As a last act, he would betray her.

Michael decided before they even came to Cathedral City, that if all went wrong, he would give Zero one last chance for a normal life. With his dying wish as a dragon. He would not reincarnate so that she could try this fool's errand again. He would spit in the face of the destiny she was given.

There wasn't much time. His flesh was burning away and he enacted his kindness during his last seconds.

 _Farewell, little fool._

 _In another time, in another life._

 _Please farewell, my only friend._

…This is a story of six sisters and the foolish Dragon that altered there fate.

For better or worse.

Let the struggle begin anew.

* * *

 **A/N: The opening while in greater detail is still pretty jarring. Though D3 throws you in knee deep by default. Why start this again you ask? Well I felt like things had started going off the rail pretty hard. So here we are. This time, I want to give more clarity and insight. Yeah some things will be different. But I hope that's for the better. Thank you to all who paid attention to this story so far. I hope this remix will be even better than the original.**


	2. Shallow In Depth

**A/N:RWBY and Drakengard belong to Mounty Oum and Taro Yoko, Respectively. Please support the official release.**

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 **Shallow In Depth**

 **Remnant, Schnee Dust Co. HQ**

"Mr. Schnee-"

"I've asked plenty of times not to be disturbed." He didn't look up from his paper pile.

"It's kind of important."

 _And it begins again._ "How important is 'Kind of'?"

"We found a child in one of the dust mines sir. A little girl."

 _That_ caught his attention. Blue eyes ever so slowly looked up to the flackjacket wearing monkey. "I thought I hired you to keep things like this from happening." His pen strained under his grip. Was this really the best help money could buy? Couldn't trust faunus, couldn't trust humans either apparently. Incidents involving civilians, especially children, were a lawsuit waiting to happen!

"I…Don't know how it happened, sir," he stammered unable to find an acceptable excuse. His scouts never saw anyone enter. "Probably a bad time to mention she's here right now… and missing an arm."

If Mr. Schnee's face had reddened or spazzed any further, the inside of his office would have been painted with brain matter. This was PR hell! Who knows what they'd have to pay her to keep quiet. The faunus debacle already had media breathing down their neck.

"Do you want me to send her in?"

Jesus. Christ. "No," he mocked. "You see, I was thinking of trying to starve her out."

"... Really?"

"GET HER IN HERE!"

"Yes sir!"

After three minutes of a splitting migraine, his door opened again and in popped their guest. When the guard had said "child", he meant it. This girl was five at most.

What really caught his eye was her uncanny resemblance to his own children. An angular face and white, shiny hair. If it weren't for her fairer skin and pink eyes, he would have not known the difference. As promised, she was missing her left arm, her little stump tightly wrapped in clean bandaging. Her small frame was all wrapped up into a beige tunic with the company logo on it. At least the boob had thought to clean her up…

Speaking of which, the guard followed her into the room clutching what was clearly a sword wrapped in clothe, "We found her dragging this around, sir."

"That's _mine!_ " The girl's tiny voice erupted as the tyke paid the hired hand a punch in the groin. The sword was dropped immediately as the guard crumpled to the ground. She picked up the weapon and slung it over her shoulder with little difficulty before grabbing the seat in front of Mr. Schnee's desk.

"You may go now, Henry," the tycoon dismissed, unable to care less about his ability to reproduce.

"Yes...sir…" He crawled from the office, pride and virility shattered.

"Young lady," the man addressed his guest, "why we're you rooting around in my property?"

Her pink eyes glowered in such a way to let him know that she didn't feel like she owed him an explanation...or anything. "How should I know?" She snarked.

The pale man's lip pulled back real tight, like a charming murderer's. "Well," his tone was ungodly condescending, "because you were there, sweetheart."

"Back off, rimjob," she pouted, not appreciating his attitude by any means. "I don't know what I was doing in your stupid mine. I just woke up there."

He wouldn't give her the satisfaction of him dignifying her little taunt with a response. He could admire her straight face, however. "And what, pray tell, happened before that?"

"I don't know."

 _A likely story._ "Young lady," he chided, "nobody trespasses to this degree without purpose. Not to mention, you lost an arm hoping to find _something."_ He wouldn't be surprised to find one of his enemies put her up to this.

"I don't know!" she stood her ground with a defensive snarl. "You think if I could remember anything, I would miss out on the chance to get back at whoever did _this_?" Her question was punctuated by her waving her little stump furiously.

The tycoon was ready to call her bluff again, but stopped. If she was lying, he would have seen it in her eyes by now. Nobody lied to him twice. They couldn't afford it. "Amnesia?" That definitely added a new layer to things. It only now occurred to him that he forgot some proper formalities. "Can you even recall your name?"

"It's Zero."

"Well Zero, do you recall having any family? People who know you?" There was a morbid sense of excitement brewing here.

"I told you, I can't remember _anything_ ," she reiterated. Her eyes locked to blade now laying in her lap. "This is all I have. I'm 's the only thing I'm sure about."

Mr. Schnee didn't say anything. Gears were turning in the back of his head. This made the problem much easier, certainly. No one to miss her or care that she was hurt. No public backlash. Yet, her pink eyes whispered things to him. They told him he would be wasting something... valuable if he let her leave. What kind of business man threw away a good resource? Her rowdy nature aside, there were as many benefits as not to being 'spirited' in his line of work.

"Zero," he folded his hands in front of them, "what are you going to do now?"

The albino shrugged, not at all worried about her predicament. After a moment, all she manages to say was "Survive." as if it were that simple.

 _Interesting._ "That's all?"

"What else is there?"

An orphan with amnesia, destitute and crippled. Yet there was nary a tear in her eye. Was that apathy or did she just not know how to cower? It was the latter, he felt. "My girl," Mr. Schnee hummed, lips curling into a smile, "How would you like a future in capitalism?"

"...Eh?"

 **12 years later…**

 **Beacon Academy**

"Did you really need all that crap?" Zero pursed her lips, her own luggage strapped to her back or clutched in her right arm.

"Better safe than sorry," Weiss' hands went to her waist as the man servants carted her bags off the ship. Her eyes squinted at her "sister" in scrutiny. "How's your arm?"

"It's fine," Zero frowned. "Like the other ten times you asked." She flexed the fingers of the black steel appendage in question. "I've had prosthetics before."

"Yeah, but this one's new," the heiress pointed out dotingly. "And experimental. What if it starts choking you all of a sudden?" The genuine slight panic she had on display was hilarious.

Zero snorted, "If you haven't driven me to do that by now, a bit of circuitry couldn't make me."

Her counterpart crossed her arms with a harrumph. "Sure, hide behind snark like always."

Zero smiled softly. "I have to be able to keep up with you, don't I?"

 **Crash!**

The two looked over to the middle of the school courtyard where some poor sap had crashed into one of the luggage carts. Weiss' face reddened as she stormed over to start chewing out the poor girl immediately. Zero just watched from afar (and listening to the tirade), debating whether or not to get involved. The redheaded yutz looked pretty helpless though. Like a puppy if a puppy could wear a combat skirt. She finally decided to step in when she remembered how long Weiss' "suggestions" could take. Not to mention, her faux sister suddenly exploded thanks to user error.

"Unbelievable!" Weiss fumed as the smoke cleared. "This is-" She was stopped by a sharp yank to her ponytail.

"Hey," Zero drawled. "We're burning daylight, let's go." She ignored the puzzled look their redheaded company gave her.

The other whitehead glared at her, "But she wasted perfectly good product!"

The albino just rolled her eyes, "I was watching the whole thing. That little boom was your fault. Did you not learn from when you shook that stuff in Winter's face?"

"Because you dared me!" Came the counter claim. "And she still damaged my property!" Okay, now the girl was grasping at straws.

"I said I was sorry princess!" The redhead bristled.

"Heiress, actually," a new voice chimed in. The owner was a dark haired girl clutching a bottle of dust that went flying in the blast. "Weiss Schnee," she clarified looking to the blue eyed girl. "Heir to the Schnee Dust Company." She looked to the pink eyed girl next. "Zero Schnee, adopted third child to the family."

 _Gee, don't get too excited._ To Zero, the girl made them sound like a disease. She was well aware that many others agreed.

The biological heiress grinned prematurely, "Finally, some recognition!"

The newcomer had more to say, however. "The same company known for its controversial labor forces and shady business partners."

 _There it is._

That made Weiss snatch back the vial. "How dare you!" With that bit of indignation, she stormed off. Zero looked to other two and gave a small wave. "I guess I'll see you guys around."

The redhead waved back with a shy smile. "Uhm...bye!" She turned to the dark head...who had already started to leave. "Later, I guess…"

 _This is a story of sisters and the bonds that were formed and severed._

* * *

 **A/N: Break neck speed once again. Drakengard has a tendency to just throw you in and explain later. Lucky me, it suits my writing style. Not making excuses, just saying?. Anyway, you all know how RWBY starts, so I won't dilly dally. We're gonna get started next chapter and revelations will be coming piece by piece like before.**


	3. Oath

**A/N:RWBY and Drakengard belong to Mounty Oum and Taro Yoko, Respectively. Please support the official release.**

* * *

 **Oath**

"Good Morning, Snowflake."

"I'm still not talking to you."

"Oh woes me," Zero said sarcastically. "What a terrible fate."

"You humiliated me yesterday and refused to apologize!" Weiss fumed. "You completely undermined me. _Again!"_

Zero cracked her neck as was her morning ritual. "You were boring as hell and I saved you," she rationalized without missing a beat.

After departing from Red, they bumped into her again at the assembly. As it was, her name was actually Ruby Rose. Weiss had immediately tried going into her spiel about what the dust company was and wasn't responsible for, pending a dust accident. The adopted Schnee then decided to rip the pamphlet that her sister was trying to hand the redhead, wadded it up and shoved it into true Schnee's mouth.

It wouldn't have been so bad if another incident hadn't occurred that evening. Weiss had started arguing with Red (and her two new pals) again. Before the fight could actually start, Zero appeared behind her and lifted her over her shoulder, carrying her like property back to their makeshift sleeping area. "What is it about being out in public that brings out your inner bitchiness, anyway?" It felt like a fair question to the albino. "You're usually the sweet one and I'm all piss and vinegar, yeah?"

"Out in public, we have a name to defend," Weiss clarified vehemently. "A name you already stepped on _thrice_." She held her head, feeling slight anxiety set in. "This isn't just fun and games anymore."

"It hasn't been fun and games since we were ten." Zero corrected. "Between Dickhead with his economic lessons and you studying nonstop, I had to entertain myself." In the end, the Schnee patriarch got screwed the hardest she wager. At least there was that.

All this time trying to get at least one daughter into the family business and none of them wanted what he was selling. Three daughters and three strikes. Now ain't fate a bitch?

"Don't call him that!" Weiss hissed. They had problems but she was still her father. Despite his many superfluous faults.

"I'm not the one you should be up in arms with," the third child advised. "If it were up to your dad neither of us would be here." He wouldn't even see them off, the ass. That being said, Zero herself didn't even have anuly real passion for being a Huntress. It just so happened she had an act for fighting and enjoyed it. If it came down to either Huntress or future money grubber, she'd happily take the former.

Her fingers finished tying her signature black ribbon in her white locks. "We got a test to ace," Zero exited the locker room after giving Weiss a playful slap on the bum. The heiress chased her all the way to the cliff trying to stab her with Myrtenaster.

* * *

Zero appreciated the breeze as the grass crunched under her feet. So this was the Emerald Forest...Nothing worth getting scared over. Now to find a partner. As it turned out, she wouldn't need to try too long.

Something smashed into her back _hard_. Her knees buckled slightly but she didn't tip over. A pain filled moan let her know it was a person. "Can I help you?" The faux heiress turned and tutted impatiently. "Oh, it's you."

"Uuuhh…" Ruby floundered from her spot on the ground. "Hey…" She waved sheepishly.

The albino just gave her a tired smile, somewhat amused, "You look stupid down there. Get up, dummy." She offered her right hand. Her real hand.

The mirth of her counterpart made Ruby take it as a backhanded compliment. She gladly took the kind gesture. "Sorry," she said coyly. "I was just being... contemplative. But now I'm not. Because the thing I was contemplating is right in front of me. You." Her face went red and her lips puckered as she realized how that sounded. Oh boy... Zero's brow was raised.

"I-I meant I was thinking about you as a partner! So...we're down right? I mean not like down like-" A hand shielded her mouth.

"I'll let go of your mouth if you promise to stop talking," Zero exclaimed slowly. "Got it?" A nod was all she needed to keep her word and release her.

After a few minutes of moving in silence, Zero actually found that it was eating at her. "So Red," she hummed, "what brings a little pipsqueak like yourself to Beacon? You seem more like the baker's wife type."

"..."

"You can talk now."

"I'll have you know this combat skirt isn't just for show!" Ruby exclaimed crossed her arms with a pout. "And the only thing I'm guilty of baking is cookies."

"Oh, scathing!" The whitehead teased.

Taking the barb in good fun, Ruby smiled as memories reminded her of why she was here. "I never had to think about what I wanted," she reminisced. "I always knew. I wanted to be a hero. Someone who helped everybody and never expected to get anything back."

"You sound like you need a reality check," Zero chuckled. "Happy endings aren't that easy to come by."

"Blake said something like that too," Ruby rubbed the back of her head. "I'm not an idiot. I know I'll never be able to fix everything, but I want to get close." Her eyes wandered through the green of the forest temporarily. Eventually, she asked Zero "What about you?"

"What _about_ me?"

"Duh," the red hood scoffed. "I mean what do you get out of coming here?"

The albino debated whether or not to be truthful and decided Ruby was harmless enough. First, she had to make something clear. "If you tell Weiss I said this, I'll deny it right before I bust you one." Her pink eyes pinning her target, she shook her fist so no miscommunication was possible.

"G-got it!" Ruby gulped.

"I'm here so that I can make sure I don't lose Weiss." Her cheeks burned with shame and truth. Still, she continued. "She's really all I've got."

Rose's head tilted in confusion. "Wait, what about your dad? Mr. Schnee?" The question was innocent enough. To bad Zero didn't think so.

"That gaping cunt is not my father!" Zero hissed furiously, startling the poor girl. She breathed deeply so some of her composure came back. "He wanted a backup plan for his empire." The bastard

"Uhh..." Maybe the Rose should have kept the comment to herself...

"I was going to be Weiss' advisor if she inherited the company," came the clarification. "Or be the head if she backed down like Winter ended up doing." That made her sneer.

"You should have seen his face when both of us told him we had different plans." She was honestly shocked when the tycoon didn't try to dump her onto the curb after the fact. Maybe because he didn't want Weiss to be lonely.

He may have felt guilty about barely being around and acting like a douche when he was. "Winter, Weiss' sister, never liked me much either. The lesser of two prisses was the only one to really acknowledge me."

"I'm sorry…" Ruby offered condolences.

"I'm not," Zero shirked. "I'm honestly grateful to have anything. I didn't even have memories when the company found me. I still don't. Not before being discovered at least. " Why Zero was all of a sudden expounding all of a sudden was anyone's guess. Honestly it did feel good to let it all go.

"Amnesia?" Ruby gasped. How could she ever possibly imagine what this girl had been through?

"I'm Zero," the pink eyed girl claimed. "I own nothing and I _am_ nothing. I only have a sister." Her voice was content and accepting. The redhead was horrified.

"That's not true!" Ruby flustered, grabbing the older girl's hand. "I'm right here and we're partners now!" It was that simple to her.

Zero shook her head, "Knock it off." Her hand yanked back. "I'm a big girl. I can deal with my own problems." This is exactly why she didn't talk of emotions. She never wanted pity, she just wanted to live her dumpy little life and keep forcing a smile.

"It's not about that!" Ruby insisted. "Nobody makes it through life without help and as of right now, it's literally impossible for your problem not to be my problem." She leaned in enough to make the taller girl almost slap her away. "There's no I in team."

"There won't a you in team either if you don't back up."

"Sorry!" A blush spread over her cheeks.

And back to square one.

Before Zero could suggest they push on, a sea of whispers assaulted her ears. "What the…? Do you hear that?" Her question went unanswered for a good reason.

"Grimm!" Ruby cried as she drew her scythe.

"What?" Sure enough, a Beowulf had bursted through the underbrush. He brought plenty of company with him as well. Zero drew her sabre. As they often do, the Grimm made the first move.

A swing went over to the albino's head and the beast ended up with a blade in his mouth. Removing the top half of its head, she blocked a kick with her fake arm. Both hands grab the leg in retaliation and threw the wolf. Ruby cut it down the middle in mid air.

Zero kicked the legs out from under an oncoming opponent and a downward thrust finished things.

She sidestepped another and sent it flying with a bash to the back. Again, Ruby broke her own combo to finish the foe presented to her.

They might just make a good team after all.

Things continued like that. For too long.

"What the hell is going on!?" Zero growled. "They won't stop coming!" Ursa had started to show up. Even a king Taijitu for God's sake! Grimm just kept pouring out of the woodworks one after another.

"Keep going!" Ruby shouted, the fear starting to show on her face. Slash, smash, dismemberment, and howls of pain. It was quite the symphony. It was all too soon accompanied by heavy breathing. Zero hated to admit it, but their back was against the wall. Ruby was using her scythe to just remain standing and the faux heiress' knees felt like lead. There was still one last wave remaining...she hoped.

"Well, now's a fantastic time as any to try this out." This was gonna eat all she had left in the tank but they'd die anyway if she didn't try. She grabbed her metal wrist and pulled. The hand clicked free to reveal a nozzle tucked away in the forearm. "Let's light it up!" She roared and unleashed a sea of flame came spraying from the fake limb. Grimm burned pretty good as it turned out.

With shrill cries of agony, they were roasted to ash. They flailed violently, trying to put out there burning flesh. It was to no avail. The last of them scattered to the wind and Zero reassembled her arm.

A double take confirmed that they were in the clear. She breathed out a sigh of relief prematurely. The next second. Her veins ran cold as she heard what was clearly someone choking on blood.

The older girl turned to see Ruby on her knees, clutching her throat as crimson leaked from between her fingers. "Shit!" Zero ran over to her. "No, no, no! Red, what happened!?"

"My aura… was out. A Grimm...got me from...behind

…before I noticed it." she gurgled, silver eyes bulging with fear. The whitehead put her hand over the younger girl's to add to the compression.

"I gave it...what was coming to it though," the red hood managed a fake smile.

"Shut up! You're making it worse!" Zero used her free hand to reach for her scroll but a bloody hand stopped her.

"There's no time…" Ruby fought through the blood between her lips. "There could be more...I'm finished. Get out of here…" She coughed and blood splattered Zero's lap.

"Don't be a fucking idiot!" Why was the albino panicking this hard? What was this dread? They barely knew each other. It shouldn't have felt this bad and yet…

"Hey, Zero... look after Yang for me alright…" Despite all the pain, the Rose was smiling. "She's kinda hopeless without me."

"I said shut up!"

"Ha ha ha…" Her head tilted down and that was it. Only stillness.

* * *

Ozpin's took off his glasses with a heavy sigh, gaining Glynda's attention. "Glynda, we have a fatality."

"What!?" The blonde came over to him and beheld Ruby Rose's still form. "Oh my god."

* * *

"You... liar!" Zero roared. She turned away from the girl's kneeling corpse. "What about all that crap you spouted? Weren't you gonna save the world!?" A tree in the forest toppled as Zero released her rage on it. There was no reason for her to be acting like this. Why was her gut burning like this?

 _Because she cared for your sorry ass._

 _ **You seem frustrated**_ …

Not in the mood for surprises, Zero rounded in a deranged manner, her sword brandished. "Who the hell is there?!"

 _ **We come from within you...We've always been here.**_ The whispers from earlier now formed words.

"What!?" The hell was all this now? She didn't need this shit. "Do I look stupid? I'm not amused."

 _ **We speak the truth. The magic in this girl's blood made us stir. Only now in this world do we have a voice.**_

"Enough! Where are you?!"

 _ **We've already told you. More importantly. You seem to have a dilemma.**_

"What's it to you?"

 _ **We are willing to help. We can bring her back.**_

"Fuck off!" Whoever was doing this, she would gut them over and over! "The dead don't come back!"

 _ **It should not be possible, this is true, but how much are you willing to try?**_

Pink eyes just looked back to kneeling corpse. "Why does it matter?"

 _ **You can either leave her here to rot or heed our advice.**_

Zero begrudgingly thought about it. Ruby honestly deserved better. Zero herself simply meandered in her sister's shadow and was content with it. The redhead came here for the sake of a goal she was willing to work her whole life for. Her memories should be something better than of the albino.

"Okay," she breathed out. "What's the price?" There was no way there wasn't a catch. If she was being told the truth, that is.

 _ **No price. This pact will be more than enough payment.**_

"What are you?"

 _ **Why does it matter?**_

"Cute." She was out of her mind and completely willing. "The shit I do for self abasement…"

 _ **Kneel before the body outstretch your hand and repeat after us…**_

"Heed my call! By the power of my soul, I hereby forge a pact. In exchange for the life of this mortal. God's of the east, Goddesses of the west, I offer up the flame of my life."

* * *

As if Ozpin didn't have enough to worry about between a dead initiate and her partner going insane with grief, another bump seem to arise. "Glynda…"

"I'm seeing it," she gaped. "But I don't believe it."

Their monitoring scrolls showed a vivid image of Zero kneeling before Ruby, surrounded by ancient runes. They burned a bright gold with an otherworldly force. The glow seeped into Ruby's body and her wound began to mend as she was lifted back to her feet.

"It can't be," Glynda began speculating but Ozpin was already ahead of her.

"Maiden powers do not resurrect people."

* * *

Ruby swayed on her feet as the spell ended, eyes open a new. "Wha...What…" She muttered feebly. Her hands traced over her throat. No wound, not even a scar. It was over. She was sure she was done for.

"Hey," came a surprisingly meager voice. Zero was looking to her with a dumbfounded expression. It had actually worked!

"Zero," the Rose shook her head wondering where to try and start. "I thought-"

"You were," the older girl didn't hesitate. There was no point in lying. Death was something no sane person would forget. "I did something to bring you back." She looked at her hand, wondering exactly what had awakened in , something occurred to her. "Don't tell anybody!"

"But-"

"I mean it!" The Albino hissed. "I can't imagine what you went through but your gonna have to hold it in." She was perfectly aware of unforgivable it sounded but her hands were tied. "I'm your only consultant about what happened here."

Ruby's hands still held her throat as if she feared the bleeding would return. Her throat automatically swallowed. "I…"

"Look, Red," Zero clutched the younger girl's shoulder desperately. "I just committed Necromancy. You tell and the best case scenario is that people think we're insane. At worst, we get burned at the stake."

"I don't think they do that anymore…"

"Just promise me!" The whitehead was genuinely pleading with her. "As your partner, this stays between us."

Knowing that Zero was right, Zero reluctantly nodded, downtrodden.

She received a comforting pat on the shoulder. "I'm here for you." She really meant it, too. The redhead even gave her a meek smile. The albino smiled back. Inside, they were both crying.

What fresh hell would come of this?


	4. Dream Weaver

**A/N:RWBY and Drakengard belong to Mounty Oum and Taro Yoko, Respectively. Please support the official release.**

* * *

 **Dream Weaver**

A new singularity has occurred. A new branch has opened up. One we can not intervene in. This yields the potential for complete disaster.

The very fabric of reality is unstable. Michael's final wish could prove more costly than he dared to can only observe...and pray.

* * *

"Ow!" Thud.

"Weiss settle down," Zero grogged. "I'm still trying to sleep."

"You punched me out of bed!"

Now that merited an open eye. Even in the dark, it was clear her sister wasn't lying next to her anymore. Instead, she was kneeling next to the edge with an angered brow. The heiress stood up and lifted her nightgown to reveal a knuckle shaped mark. "And you did it with your robot arm!"

"Oh...sorry…"

Blue eyes widened as Weiss' lower jaw twinged aimlessly. "What...what?" Coaxing an apology out of her sibling had never been that easy before. What was the big idea? A strange alarm went off in her head. "What's wrong? Are you having those dreams again?"

"You shut your fucking mouth!" Zero commanded sharply.

Aha! Her response was too hard and too fast for the albino's usual attitude towards her. "You are, aren't you?" She said with smug vindication.

"Settle down, you two," Yang yawned. "We're trying to sleep."

The glyph user took a few moments to simmer before climbing back into their shared bed. It was 3 a.m. after all. With her back turned to her sister, her indignation eventually lulled her back to sleep.

Despite being somewhat embarrassed herself, Zero followed suit. Unwillingly, she returned to her dreamscape where fate continued to conspire against her.

…

 _Zero, your allies are a precious thing indeed. Remain by their side as I once did for you._

She recognized this voice, deep and powerful. It had spoke to her long before the voice in her head yesterday. When she had first awoken to Remnant. He'd only ever revealed his name:Michael. He'd said nothing to her for years now. Although, as long as he was here...

 _Michael, what's happening to me?_ The thing she'd spoken with yesterday was clearly a different entity and she'd never "dreamt" while awake before.

 _Zero, you can go far in this world. But only if you do not look back_.

 _Wait! Answer me for real this time, you bastard! Who are you!?_

 _...Do not look back._

 _Answer me!_

 _…_

 _Asshole…_

 _…_

"Wake up, Ms. Tude." Weiss shook her counterpart.

"Ugh…" Naturally, Zero just attempted to burrow deeper into the mattress. Classes weren't gonna deprive her of sleep. Not after the previous night. Missing the first day couldn't be that bad.

Weiss was prepared for this in the worse way possible. The next moment Zero jumped out of her skin, bashing her head on the bunk in the process. The albino glowered at her smug sibling, hissing at her through gritted teeth, "Damn you! Of course you thought to bring that."

The heiress felt pretty smart, she'd admit. Her fingers rolled the whistle playfully with a smile so satisfied, it hurt, "It's the least I could do after last night.

"Weiss," a deeper voice bemoaned. "You could have given us some warning." Fully in uniform, Blake tried to sooth her ears, suspiciously tugging her bow as well. Her eyes went to a bed-headed Zero. "Good morning." Her smile was polite enough.

"Morning," Zero's deadpanned.

"Should we finish unpacking?" The true Schnee asked Blake.

The brunette shook her head, "I think that can wait. We should get breakfast while we have the time." At Weiss' nod, Blake's eyes looked to the upper bunk. "Ruby, you want to come?"

"No," came the quiet response. "I'm good." It was only then that the faux heiress noticed a pair of legs dangling auspiciously from the top bunk.

Seeing as how Yang was still maintaining her mane in the bathroom (and a cranky expression indicated Zero's disinterest), the two left to get some breakfast.

Zero immediately climbed up to sit with a docile Ruby. The redhead's appearance was meek at best.

Even as the weight beside her shifted, Ruby's eyes didn't leave her lap. Her mouth made not a peep. Her school uniform made her look like the saddest of dolls and the eerie silence did nothing to break the illusion.

Now, Zero wasn't the best councilor that had ever been but she by herself. A gentle hand found Ruby's shoulder, "How you doin', dummy?" Her tone kept low as to not invite Yang to get an earful from the lavatory.

Silver eyes looked to her as a weak smile was thrown her way. "I've been better," Ruby whispered back. "I still can't believe…" Her fingers traced her throat shakily.

"Me neither…" Michael, the voice from the day before, Red's resurrection. How was this all connected? She could contemplate it later.

"Zero...how?" There was no clarification needed.

"I already said I don't know," her tone wasn't harsh. "I wish I did." Her pink eyes sent a rare glint of sympathy.

A long silence passed between them before the team leader spoke up.

"I don't know if I can do this." Ruby rasped suddenly.

"Can do what?" Zero demanded, not appreciating her defeatist tone.

"Be a Huntress," the redhead confessed, tone weak but study. She swallowed hard.

"But you said that's all you ever wanted!" Zero hissed almost forgetting to stay quiet. "Ozpin even made you our team leader!" Albeit, he seemed uneasy as he did it. It was only after the ceremony that the third child realized the cameras probably showed him and Goodwitch everything. The fact that he didn't confront them made the pink-eyed girl unsure of whether Ozpin was sane or not. She definitely wouldn't divulge that to Ruby if she herself hadn't noticed anything amiss, however. It appeared she was stressed out enough. "We beat the Nevermore because of your plan." She pointed out charitably.

"I was panicking on the inside the entire time," Ruby bemoaned. "And the way I beat it…" Her voice trailed off as her spine shuddered. She put her hand to her throat again. Would Zero's miracle have worked if she'd been decapitated? "I always treated killing Grimm like it wasn't a big deal-"

"It's not!" Zero interjected fervently.

"Isn't it?" The younger girl almost sobbed. "It was so cold!" Ruby hugged herself. "There was just darkness and no one!" She'd never felt more alone. "Dad always promised I'd see Mom again…"

Zero nearly reeled back as if struck. Rose didn't deserve the pain she'd been caused. What was it like to return after death took you? "Maybe you weren't completely gone yet when I revived you." It was pathetic attempt at consultation but she had to try.

The redhead's watery smile was almost painful to see. "I want to believe you so badly. The numbness was too real to be anything but-"

She was cut off as she was pulled into Zero's shoulder.

"Please just...stop talking," the whitehead huffed. "We'll figure it out." It was the lamest, most noncommittal thing she'd ever said. What else was she to say? She had no idea what she'd done to Ruby. Yet she did it anyway. This was her responsibility. Ruby was her partner. "I'll figure it out."

"Okay," Ruby let herself relax on Zero's shoulder. The redhead would believe her for now.

"Well, well," a familiar voice hummed, "I wasn't expecting to have to block suitors yet."

The albino almost knocked both of them onto the floor as she floundered in surprise. "How long were you there!?" She squawked. "What did you hear?"

"We weren't doing anything!" Ruby added for good measure. She was clearly focused on deflecting a different type of speculation.

Yang chuckled, "I couldn't hear much of anything with the blow dryer running." Her hands teased through her locks as her purple eyes sparked with mischief. "Now, about you dating my sister…"

This time, Zero literally did threw herself off the bed face first and immediately got up to scramble into the bathroom, "Can't hear you, too busy!"

"I didn't take her for the shy type," the blonde mused.

"Her heart's in the right place," Ruby offered coyly. I hope…

"And we're not dating!" Red and white clarified together.

* * *

 **A/N:Not much, but it made me happy.**

 **You interested in having some Inuyasha with your Drakengard?**

 **Check out _La Vida Loca Keshin!_ **

**Thank you very much for your support! ThIs has been X-Mixer and I will check you guys later!**

 **Other things in my archive for your literary pleasure:**

 **Wyrd Chronicle s (Dragon Ball Z and Sailor Moon Crossover)**

 **Queen (Alien and RWBY Crossover )**

 **Hollow Guise (Sword Art Online Hollow Fragment)**

 **La Vida Loca Keshin (Inuyasha and Drakengard Crossover)**

 **Thing (Omega Quintet)**


	5. Cross the Lines

**A/N:I don't own RWBY or Drakengard. Please remember to thank Monty Oum and Yoko Taro and enjoy.**

* * *

 **Cross the Lines**

Team RWBYZ first day began.

Thanks to the tomfoolery, they were nearly late to class. Zero would have argued that they weren't missing much. If she were one to listen carefully to people gassing on, there was no way she would have been able to tolerate Weiss. Not to mention, "daddy dearest" would be six feet under. She would stake her life on that.

Speaking of staking lives on things, Yang was recklessly betting hers. All throughout the day, she would send Zero a teasing smirk and wisely dare to do no more. That being said, she did a feel a bit more sympathy for Ruby. As if the blonde's punchable expression wasn't bad enough, she keep giving her little sister doodles that the faux heiress could only assume contained "kissy face" drawings of her and her "crush".

 _I'll crush your bones. How bout that, blondie?_

As angry as the albino was, she understood where Yang was coming from.. This was the berserker's way of being happy for her sibling. Weiss had certainly gotten annoyed at Zero's "excitement" in the past. Especially when Weiss had to shoot down like a million suitors every couple of weeks. That being said, she kind of appreciated the blonde's antics. When she wasn't being teased, the redhead would fall into a subtle melancholy. No doubt Yang just thought her baby sister was stewing with embarrassment.

Ruby's eyes would just glaze over in the direction of the teacher as her lips frowned. It bugged her partner more and more every time she caught a peek of it. Zero felt more guilty than she had her entire life (that she remembered thus far). It was like seeing the face of a traumatized puppy that got reinflated after being smooshed.

By the time their last class rolled around, the albino swordswoman couldn't take anymore. That's when an idea struck her. She guided the redhead's look away from Port, who was the epitome of talking about nothing, and made her look the to doodle she'd done of him as a cabbage.

Ruby cracked a smile for the first time that day. Better yet, she took out her pencil and scooted the paper over to her. Now, the new drawing was one of cabbage Port be nibbled on by beowolves. Zero smirked in response, happy that the girl was more devious than she suspected.

To follow up, the faux heiress drew their teacher making out with himself. That made the hooded girl stifle a giggle. Getting into the groove, the smaller girl then counter with a scribble of the Ports having a wedding with one speech bubble that said "I love me!"

The albino was amused.. Thus she doodled the newlyweds holding their child:a cabbage with Weiss' face on it. The two girls mirrored each other's grins and were about to continue when a "I do, sir!" blasted their eardrums.

Apparently, Port had asked for a volunteer to fight the boarbatusk he had and Weiss had vehemently volunteered. To step into the ring.

"Go Weiss!" Yang cheered.

"Fight well," Blake cheered, waving a tiny RWBY flag that she somehow obtained.

"Don't humiliate yourself," Zero said, leaning back with her feet up.

"Yeah!" Ruby cheered, feeling refreshed. "Represent Team RWBY!"

"Ruby, I'm trying to concentrate!" Weiss bit unnecessarily, making her leader sag and Zero scowl. Her pink eyes sent a warning that was missed. _You behave yourself, brat._

Of course, the advice was not heeded and Weiss had a smartass comment to make everytime Ruby tried looking out for her. Which was justified. The snooty heiress was so busy being a "strong" and "independent" warrior, she almost got ran down during her battle. When she narrowly won her victory, her attitude changed little. She sent her leader a cold glare before stalking off. Zero threw back at her.

"Weiss!" Zero hissed at the back of her sister's head as she ignored her and left the classroom

 _You dirty_ _ **bitch**_ _!_

This was not over!

Before the adopted schnee could turn to Ruby, the girl gave Weiss chase. Zero followed suit slowly, offering her partner a chance to confront her wayward teammate instead. Not too long after, Ruby brushed past her quickly without stopping. "Ruby?" Zero only needed to glance back at her once to guess what happened. The girl's shaking frame conveyed her effort to not shed tears even as she disappeared around the corner. Pink eyes hardened with determination.

If Weiss wanted to be a big brat, she would gladly play big sister.

* * *

What a mess! Weiss couldn't believe Ozpin had made such a huge error! That redheaded child appointed leader? What could he have possibly been thinking? Ugh, maybe speaking with Professor Port could get things straightened out. Then she could put this whole headache behind her.

Said headache then immediately flared up as an ironfist blasted the back of her skull. She yelped before rounding to see Zero, face furious and metal hand proudly raised. Putting two and two together was easy enough. "Are you out of your mind!?" Weiss screeched to her semi-duplicate. "You could have given me a concussion!" How reckless could you get!?

Zero merely went stoic and crossed her arms. "Nah," she said blankly. "Your skulls way too thick. I just wish there was something in it."

Weiss waited for her eyes and brain to stop throbbing before she responded. "Excuse you?" She demanded, while mirroring Zero's stance.

"You're the one who needs excuses," the albino exuded anger even if her face and voice were calm. She leaned forward, confident in her dominance over the situation. "Weiss Schnee," her voice was like ice cicles, "You tell me what you said to Ruby _right now_."

The second born Schnee took a minute to be confused. "Why do you care?" She questioned. Zero usually stood up to her out of annoyance rather than those pink orbs didn't had changed?

"I don't want to ask you again," the cruder girl's tone shifted from a little cold to actually menacing.

Weiss tried not to budge and stand her ground but she felt like some force pushing its giant thumb down on her. Her adopted twin never looked at her this way before. She'd never truly been condemning of her or non-verbally promised her pain. Her heartbeat was just a bit too loud for comfort at the moment. "I told Ruby that Ozpin made a mistake," she rubbed her arm felt achy all of sudden as she confessed. "Also, that a wouldn't be a part of a team lead by her…" That sounded way worse now that she said it a second time.

"Gah!" The cyborg gave an animalistic growl and started to shake as her eyes screwed shut. Weiss backed up a bit, fearing her sister would actually attack her. Instead, Zero steadied herself and looked at her again. This time, her gaze was sad. "Oh Weiss…" she bemoaned. The prissier Schnee's elitism was so annoying! Especially because the albino knew of kindness she could show. "Why?"

Immediately, a million reasons spawned in Weiss' brain. Ruby was a idiot, a child, a showboater...Every excuse that popped into her mind didn't travel past her lips. Not while Zero was looking at her like this. It felt increasingly obvious that her sibling wasn't just frustrated with her, she was well and truly disappointed with her. This had never happened eyes looked to the ground ashamed.

A hand found the true Schnee's shoulder, "I know you think you're the best." Zero said with the roll of her eyes. "You're well on your way to making it be true. You don't need to knock other people down just because you hit a small bump in the road." Man, she had to do two speeches of reassurance in the same day. Bogu. "Learn to give other people _a chance!_ " She stressed. "Being a good teammate is more important than being a good leader. I don't think you've done that, do you?"

"No…" Weiss moped like a little kid.

"That's right," Zero smirked. "No matter what Dickhead taught you, it's better to be the best person you can be than to be in control all the time." A somber nod confirmed what she said had gotten through. "Good! Now go apologize to Ruby or I'll break your teeth, okay?"

"Okay," Weiss' mutter was barely audible. Her suddenly sage sister fixed that with a sharp tug to the ear. "Yowch! Stop!"

"I can't hear you!"

"I said I'll apologize!" She spoke up desperately, wanting to save her poor ear from an ungodly amount of torque. Thankfully, she was released.

"That's what I thought!" Zero's hands went to her hips smugly. "Remember, you never know what someone's been through. Now I'm gonna go clobber Valkyrie in a sparring match like I promised at lunch." She rolled her neck before turning on her heel. "I better hear that you set things right by the time I'm done." That last warning before rounding the corner.

Weiss just stood there for a few minutes, feeling perplexed. Zero had never cared when she spoke down to anyone before. At least not enough to get her to make amends. It was only this one instance she had ever done that. Hmmm...something about this rubbed her wrong and it wasn't just a sore ear.

Could there be something to Yang's teasing?

Could her sister be in love? No, that was ridiculous! _She barely knows Ruby…_ Wait a minute, what had Zero meant by "Been through"?

Now her brain had an itch that needed scratching. What exactly could have happened between the two in the Emerald Forest?

What exactly happened to Ruby?

* * *

 **A/N:Hey guys! Look, I know it's not as much as you want but it's all I got at the moment. I enjoyed writing it though! Today was a good day off from work!At anyrate, before you start in, NO. Ruby won't just be a cry baby. She's just having a rough time with her confidence since her neck was opened like a tuna can lid. She needs the bondings with the white haired girls! ...What? I do English good!**

 **As always, let me know how you guys feel.**

 **Just as a warning, I'm gonna be starting college soon so unfortunately, updates may slow down even more. Afterall, this isn't my only work right now.**

 **I'll see you when I see you!**


	6. Links

**A/N:RWBY and Drakengard 3 belong to the late Monty Oum and the innovative Taro Yoko. Pay your respects and plz enjoy:)**

* * *

 **Links**

They kept trying to pull a clear answer out of the air but it wouldn't come.

At every free moment offered, Glynda and Ozpin poured over whatever information they could find on their main "concern" at the moment. Unfortunately, it wasn't to much avail. They could find hide nor hare of information on "resurrection"as a Semblance. No such power was possessed by a Maiden either. So that left the intriguing, unpleasant theory that they dealing with something else entirely.

It couldn't be mere dark magic, could it? Such superstitions were lost to all but a few very astute individuals. It didn't feel credible that Zero Schnee was one of them. Then again…

Ozpin leaned back in his chair as he hummed thoughtfully, eyes untelling.

Ultimately, it was Glynda who gave voice to the suspicion brewing in the back of their minds. "Do you think Ms. Zero could have some attachment to... _her_?"

The headmaster reflected on it for barely a moment. As suspicion as he was, the notion was quite a stretch. "That's...doubtful, given her background," he rationalized. As corrupt as Mr. Schnee was supposed to be, it was unlikely that he'd join the forces of blatant evil. At least not if it threatened his revenue. Whoever Zero was talking to in the forest (if anyone) he doubted it was Salem.

"I'm just trying to get a hint of a clue," the blonde sighed dejectedly, slight sympathy on her face. "Lord only knows how much worse it is for Ms. Rose." Green eyes widened, startled, as a dark thought passed through their owner's mind. "Are we even sure Ms. Rose is still herself?"

"If you're suggesting that Ruby maybe a puppet, I'm not quite convinced of that either," he rebuked calmly. The tongue lashing he witnessed Weiss giving her leader had clearly hurt the girl's feelings. It cut her so deep, she'd retreated before he could talk to her. Not to mention that when she was revived, she seemed quite startled and confused. An empty shell wouldn't have reacted at all. So at least some aspect of a person still existed in Ruby. He wouldn't have allowed her to come here if she could be easily torn away from herself. "It is doubtful she was left unscarred by this, I'll admit." He frowned. Still, he'd learned a few times over that things weren't always as they appeared.

For her part, Goodwitch reflected quietly for a moment. Her face became harshly serious. "I still think we should have paired Zero and Ms. Rose off into their own team ," she shifted her feet uncomfortably. "Or even made Zero a one-woman squad."

Ozpin's brow went pretty high up, "Those actions would set some red flags on the field, wouldn't they?" He leaned back a bit, putting his hands together. "It would serve to undermine the team principles that we set in place all together. Not to mention, it would make the other students feel that something is amiss with them." The Hntsman concluded. "We shouldn't open our students to being ostracized or demonized;It would only make the situation worse. It's not ideal but the sad truth is we're completely in the dark of this matter." His tone was eerily defensive. "All of us." He recalled Zero being visibly panicked at her own ability just as much as anyone of them. "For now, having them in a group of five is the least auspicious and safest bet. We're the only ones who know of any of this so let us not lay the seeds for panic."

"I suppose…" Glynda conceded, unable to argue her boss's reasoning. Or unable to think of anything better at least.

"We'll just have to keep an eye on things," Ozpin finalized. "Maybe Ruby and Zero will open up to their teammates if nothing else."

"That reminds me," the blonde suddenly thought, "Ms. Weiss was never actually given a partner…"

"Let them work it out amongst themselves," the man smiled. "Remember, the partner aspect is coupled with general teamwork. This could serve as a general exercise in cooperation." They would have to take care of _some_ things on their own.

* * *

"Why am I being dragged with you guys to practice when I could be studying?" Weiss complained, arms crossed defiantly as she trudged behind red and white.

Zero looked back casually, "Cause you can't just keep your nose in a book all the time and get to know your team." Like she promised she would. She looked back in front of her as they walked. "And I wasn't going to dump you on Blake and Yang _just_ yet. Not until they get used to you in general."

While the heiress harrumphed, her sister could hear the slight smile on her lips, announcing that she effectively read in between the lines of her words. That is to say that Zero didn't want Weiss to think she was neglecting her.

After all, Ruby occupied most of her time these hooded girl had confessed to Zero that going too long without her made her somewhat anxious. The white rebel couldn't claim to be shocked. After all, she figured red would be in a poorer states than she was by now. Not that the third child was doing much better. In fact, she found herself getting headaches in Ruby's absence. While it wasn't ideal, the two would stick close by when possible. It was the only way they would make it through this. Period.

Whether it was studying, sparring or hanging out in general, the last few weeks had gotten them closer. They learned some each other's taste and what made them laugh. Weiss was the last person that had felt so easy to be around.

Speaking of which, The true Schnee still remained aloof from the others most of the time. The adopted daughter doubted she wanted to break her promise. Intuitively, she more or less felt that her "little" sister was reluctantly shy or just wasn't an expert of befriending.

Zero was positive that if they hadn't inhabited the same roof for so long, they wouldn't even be acquainted. Much less, family. When it came down to it, the family wealth built more barriers than it laid bridges. The only reason Weiss even had suitors was because everyone wanted to get to _paid_. Especially their "family friends". It was now or never if Weiss going to change that. Naturally, her beloved almost-twin sibling would happily give her a push.

"I'm glad you came with us this time, Weiss!" Ruby smiled excitedly. It was refreshing after the girl's initial scorn of her. "Gimme a good match, okay?" Her silver eyes sparked.

Zero gave a little smirk at her partners attitude. It was a big step up from her talk of quitting a few weeks ago. For the most part, Ruby was doing much better. There were times when she would still go into a haze. Having her own intuition, Yang had stopped attributing it to her teasing (which had all but died as she got bored of it) and actually started to worry. But anytime she was questioned about it, Ruby would play it off as her day dreaming.

The blonde was starting to pester Zero about it and she didn't have anything to add. The whitehead rebel encouraged her red hooded partner to divulge in her but she couldn't _force_ her to do anything. Neither would she have dared to. She'd already forced one thing on the girl and even though it'd been to save her life, she was still debating whether or not it was actually for the better.

Her gut instinct told her yes but her head told her she didn't really know. The fragile smile Ruby had taken to was much more disheartening than that happy go lucky beam Zero only saw every now and then. A near month worth of questioning just how she had did what she did bore nothing. No answers or revelations, just frustration and dread. Neither the voice from the forest or Michael had spoken to her and she didn't know whether to celebrate or throw a tantrum.

Before she could go into full blown lament, Zero and co. reached the training room. No later than her foot hitting the mat did the fluorescent lights buzz to life. The adopted daughter begin to remove her shoes, earning a confused look from her partner.

Weiss seemed to understand. "So that's your aim for the day," she concluded as she went to remove her boots as well.

The redhead of the group startled a bit, "Ugh…" She froze. Her inference skills weren't coming through for her.

"You too," Zero pointed at her commandingly. "Boots off." Ruby's hesitation forced her to clarify with a roll of her eyes. "It's for training, 're gonna do some hand to hand today. You know, mix things up. " She finished with and with exaggerated hand motions.

Well, the red leader understood but"I don't really know any…" she admitted with a small blush of shame. She felt kinda naked all of a sudden.

"I was afraid you were gonna say that," Zero commented nonchalantly with a roll of her neck.

"Don't feel too bad," Weiss spoke somewhat sympathetically. "The only real reason I know any is because-", She looked accusingly at her sister, " _-someone_ got a little crazy with her sword and we had to take a little break from sharp objects." Her voice was dripping with sass.

Zero quickly looked the opposite direction of her sibling and coughed defensively. Her voice was calm and edged. "I already apologized for that _plenty."_ Pink eyes drifted toward the ceiling.

Man, oh man, was Moneybags _pissed_. He'd gotten redder than she'd ever seen him and he shouted so loud, making out his words were almost impossible. Had Weiss not willing agreed to pit herself against Zero (as training would imply), the white rebel would have definitely been thrown out on her ass.

"They say that scars are just another type of medal…" The adopted Schnee muttered, trying to convince herself more than anybody. She didn't want yet another guilt trip over this.

The palest girl quirked an eyebrow with dry sarcasm, "So you're saying if I lost half my depth perception, I'd be a war hero?"

"Your words, not mine."

"Zero!" Weiss's eyes got wild as she raised her hands as if readying to strangle her counterpart.

"Excuse me!" Ruby drew attention back to herself to keep the two out of each

other's hair. "Training is supposed to be, uh, none lethal."

They turned to her at once, faces soured. "We know," they said bitterly in unison.

Zero put her head in her hand, "Look, take your boots off so we can start, _please_." She stressed, wanting desperately to change back to their main topic.

The redhead complied quickly as repentance for triggering the altercation in the first place.

The faux heiress perked up immediately, "Good." She observed. Even while unarmed, the kid still had a pretty good stance.

"I'm really shocked that Yang never taught you a few sets," the true heiress thought aloud, taking the words right out of her almost-twin's mouth.

Ruby frowned and chuckled nervously with a blush. "Well it's not that I didn't ask," she confessed. "I just got a little overzealous." Her toes drew circles in the ground. "Let's just say that Ember Celica's meant for someone a little heavier than me." One use of the gauntlets later, the redhead needed a few casts and her dad needed to fix a gaping hole in the side of the house. "I kinda got turned off to melee almost immediately."

"Look, forget that for a minute," Zero instructed with new found vigor. This would be easier even if the girl had the barest of experience. "Just give me the best punch you got." She slapped her own gut. "Right in the core!"

The red hood tilted her head. Her partner's aura was completely down. She looked doubtingly to Weiss for confirmation. "Are you sure?"

The true Schnee just nodded curtly, "Trust us, you won't hurt her."

Readying herself to comply, Ruby centered her breathing before cocking her fist back and swinging.

Even with an aura, it was like trying to fist a steel wall.

The scythe user crumpled to the ground clutching her stinging knuckles. "What the hell…?" Her silver eyes helplessly and curiously looked to the white rebel who was actually smiling.

"You hit harder than I expected," Zero gave a congratulating chuckle while yanking the poor girl to her feet. She gave a good natured pat on the back as consolation.

"Hurts doesn't it?" Weiss asked looking almost bored.

"A lot," Ruby nodded vigorously with a laugh. She knew Zero was tough, she just didn't know how tough.

"Not bad," her partner approved. "Now I'm going to come at you with tempered strength." She smirked. "But I _will_ be coming at you!"

Weiss frowned with uncertainty, slightly worried, "Are you sure you want to do that, Zero?"

"She's a big girl," Zero chuffed, looking at the girl confidently. "Right?"

It took the redhead a minute but she had conviction when she nodded. The white rebel was strong, she'd had plenty of sparring as evidence. The thought of fighting her bare fisted was scary, just a little, but she trusted her partner more than she feared getting hurt by her. She had to. Ruby took a stance and Zero cheerfully took hers as Weiss watched tensely in the background. Heavily, she wondered if the past would repeat itself. Red and White felt the air nick them as one another as their auras activated.

3…

2…

1…

The pair left after images as they flashed to one another. A tremor slithered through the combatants as their forearms smashed against one another, their bones groaning quietly. Pink eyes widened, attention fully gained.

"Are you sure you're a novice?" Their owner asked. "Do you know more than you're letting on?" The last question graced Zero's lips with a gently thrilled smirked.

Silver eyes widened in sudden shock. Ruby looked to her arm as if trying to swallow the what was happening in the moment. When did she get near the faux heiress? High speed or no, she'd never moved without knowing it before. And her muscles, they felt so weightless. She promptly remembered that Zero asked her a question. "I don't…" the redhead muttered as her words fumbled. "I swear…"

The thoughtful and worried look on the scythe user's face bugged the third Schnee. It still didn't look right or natural on her le...her friend. "Look alive!" She snapped vigorously as she flitted back before sliding back in for a headshot. Ruby side stepped it like she was the breeze itself. At the same instance, Zero felt the tickle of something gazing past her face in that instance. Automatically, her neck hair raised as she withdrew again with abrupt anxiety.

Weiss' eyes narrowed at the strange turn about. In addition to the strange behavior, Zero appeared to be moving faster than she ever had. Even the swift glyph-user's eyes barely caught the traces of white in that moment. She was pretty sure Ruby was naturally quicker...Just what had changed?

 _What the shit was that!?_ The rebel's mind was all at once racing, as if it was working for two. Her pink eyes jittered. Ruby didn't try to counter at all so what was that hot whoosh of air on her skin? The younger girl stared at her mutedly, frozen and just as lost as herself. Both mirrored their counterparts disconcert.

Ugh! There was no time to humor head tricks! They were here to spar like always. Zero began the pursuit again going for fierce jabs which Ruby flowed around like water. Unthinkingly, the redhead turned parried one of her blows and followed it with yanking her into a face kick which failed by an inch thanks to a mechanical jerk of the third daughter's head.

As the session carried on, things began to feel more and more off. The pair moved like winds blowing in opposite directions. They could flow into one another but not actually snag together. More still, every movement was done without effort. It happened by the twitch of their muscles alone. Yet their eyes followed the action perfectly. Even if they couldn't stare, even if they were blind, it would have changed little.

The moment finally came when Red and White began to connect, yet things didn't seem to improve. Every kick, punch, elbow and headbutt landed symmetrical to another. They had gone from perfect evasions to syncing up with one another completely! Stopping probably was the right call but that would mean admitting something was horribly wrong and allowing themselves to succumb to panic. Now their bodies openly clashed without gaining leverage, instead achieving a perfectly frightening, automated mimicry. It dragged out far beyond their control. Whole minutes ticked by.

When Zero and Ruby were freed from their predicament, it was not under pleasant conditions. They swung out for the last time as their eyes committed quite the cruel and unusual trick.

The Huntresses saw a perfect duplicate of themselves before them at the last possible second. For fragment of a second, they locked with their own hollow, unfeeling blood ran cold. It was only due to the fierce and sudden conniption that quasi-perfect aiming failed and fists actually impacted faces and they were set free.

The partners were knocked onto their backs and the bizarre quarrel came to a definitive end. Not without harsh consequences, however. Ruby and Zero moaned, heads throbbing and vision warped. To make matters worse, The false heir tasted metal while the scythe lover's nose smelt a lot of copper. They'd broken each other's auras without question

Weiss didn't know who to rush over to first. She decided on her leader, seeing as how her sister was the "tougher" of the two. Plus, maybe she'd held onto just a bit of bitterness over what happened between them, just a little! "Well," the true heiress started meekly as she leaned Ruby up gently to examine her bleeding nose, "you didn't end up blind."

"Am I still pretty?" The red hooded girl's eyes were somewhat crossed as her somewhat collapsed nasal passages made her words come out like croaks.

What in the world…? "You're...beautiful…" Weiss consoled awkwardly. She remembered Zero sounding just as stilted when the scar accident happened. There wasn't much of an occasion for her to do this sort of thing any more than her ruffian sister.

"You don't know anything, huh?" came Zero's quietly disgruntled grumble as she sat up with crimson stained lip. After her cheek puffed and swished, she hacked and spat bloody slime into her palm. "Ah, shit…" Her tooth was in her hand. Great! Now in addition to almost pissing herself, she was gonna need a trip to the dentist. What the hell was with all that just now anyway!?

"Ew," Weiss' face screwed up in disgust. Her blue eyes just told her sibling "I told you so!" before they went back to Ruby. _Ruby really got her good, though._ Had the girl been fibbing about her strength. No, she could ask that later when she knew they were both okay. The hooded girl's silver eyes had straightened up at least.

Speaking of which, a million questions poked at Ruby's mind about what had just happened. Yet her dripping blood made one seem far more important than all the others.

"Should we go to the nurse?" She asked like a small child, fragile and achy.

Weiss and Zero rolled their eyes with exasperation.

"Yes!"

* * *

 **A/N:Sweet Jesus, I actually managed to finish this!**

 **Zero and Ruby seem to just keep compiling anomalies. Just what was all that you ask? Maybe you'll get some answers next time! Huh...I** _ **really**_ **wish I knew when next time was. But college is in full motion and I don't want to make empty promises.**

 **That aside, I hope you like this weird shit that's going down, because it's not about to go anywhere!**

 **Let me take a moment to thank you for viewing, following, favoriting, and reviewing this. I definitely don't do enough. So thank you to those out there who dig this for some reason. I hope I catch you sooner than later.**

 **Peace!**


	7. This Bond Is Ours

**A/N: Drakengard and RWBY belong to Yoko Taro and Mounty Oum respectively. Please support the official releases.**

* * *

 **This Bond Is Ours**

The day after her and Zero's sparring match, Ruby woke up to her partner surrounded by the rest of their team. Blake, Yang, and Weiss' faces looked perplexed, even startled. The expressions put a heavy feeling in the red leader's gut.

"What's going on guys?" The redhead asked as she jumped off the top bunk.

Zero answered her without a second thought as she turned to her, "My tooth came back." She opened her mouth and showed off her once-again filled out top row of pearly whites.

"I didn't think you still had baby teeth…" Ruby said with a thoughtful stroke of her chin.

"I don't," Zero shook her head, brow creasing.

"She lost the last of her baby teeth the year she became a part of my family," Weiss spoke up, her eyes squinted in suspicion. Her sister continued to be a quandary in need of solving. "We never figured out her semblance, though."

"I hypothesized it could be regeneration," Blake said with an uncharacteristically inquisitive visage.

"It would make since if she'd ever shown that ability before," the ice queen countered, as she pointed her counterpart's fake arm. As it stood, the girl's robotic limb was proof enough that wasn't the case.

"Maybe she just has a really strong aura?" Yang put forward.

"I don't think aura regrows body parts by itself…" Blake gently shut down her partner.

While her friends continued to bounce possible theories off each other, Zero had begun to stare Ruby down. The redhead leaned her head back as the rebel craned hers a bit too close for comfort, her pink eyes scrutinizing something.

"Uh…may I help you?" The Rose questioned Zero's strange need to violate her personal space.

Instead of answering her, the faux-heiress wordlessly plucked the splint from her broken nose in one swift movement.

Ruby's yelp of, "What are you doing!?" gained everyone's attention.

"You're fine," Zero almost grounded out, looking less than pleased that she was right. The youngest of the team's injury was healed. "There's not even a scar." Her tone was one of disgust. The rest of the team had gathered around them by now and was speechless. Including Ruby herself.

Yang's eyes darkened as she as she turned to Zero accusingly, "What's going on?" She demanded, her stance rigid. "What are you guys hiding?"

Zero wordlessly bolted out of the room and disappeared down the hall.

Her redheaded partner immediately sought to go after her, but was stopped by her sister's hand on her shoulder. She looked back and flinched as the blonde looked more vulnerable than she had in a while. "Ruby," she breathed out, "What is going on? You're different than you were before we came here, I feel it."

Her little sister grimaced. If she told her the truth would it be believed? Would Yang trust her to chase after her dream ever again? Her sibling had a good heart but the matter was too complicated. It just couldn't be helped right now. "She needs me," Ruby said staunchly. Her silver eyes pleaded with her older sister. _Please don't push this..._

The brawler looked defeated as she realized she wouldn't get and explanation and that her baby sister didn't feel like she owed her one. Her hand let go and the team leader disappeared down the hall. The girl felt Blake wrap an arm around her shoulder in comfort and purple met gold.

"She'll come around," Blake said quietly, before pulling her partner closer. "I promise." Yang's expression remained unsure. So did Weiss'.

* * *

As if by instinct, Ruby found herself going onto the roof of their building. There, she found Zero lying on her back and staring blankly up at the sky. "What are you doing?' She asked in a casual tone as she sat at the girl's side.

"Lamenting."

"Lamenting what, exactly?"

"That's just it," the rebel said darkly, pink eyes drifting to her partner. "I don't know!" She sat up. "I don't know what's happening to us but I'm the one who made it happen." Her hand pointed to herself. "We'll become less human by the day, I'm sure of it!" Her lips frowned deeply and her head shook frantically. "And I don't even think I can stop it!" Her pinks eyes began to hollow, "You saw it, right? The projection of yourself in me?"

"Yeah…" Ruby looked down at her knees. She'd never seen Zero this shaken up before, barring the initial incident. Her eyes had never beheld the albino tasting true fear before. Of course, this thing had been rattling her just as much as the Rose. Her partner had just refuse to reveal it until now. _That means she must really be feeling the pressure._ Not that the redhead wasn't, but she shouldn't have assumed that Zero didn't need someone to lean on as well. The fact that they both saw their own phantoms in one another meant they were both suffering from something scary. She was about to say something when the faux Schnee cut her off.

"I'm sorry," Zero apologized as she laid down again. "I have no idea what I'm doing; I never have." Her finger nails scraped the ground in frustration. "I've never once tried to justify my own existence. It never felt like I had to as long as I had Weiss to look after." She went on when she realized Ruby wasn't going to interrupt her. "I never think about anything. I just do it and hope everything turns out fine. So I didn't think about what would happen if my thoughtlessness dragged someone else down." She closed her eyes. "I'm sor-oof!" She groaned as Ruby flopped on top of her.

"Don't say it again," the cookie-lover demanded quietly, as her eyes pierced the rebel's. "Zero, _you saved me_. You brought me back to life. As far as I'm concerned, I don't care how or what nasty side effects come with it." Her hand went over her partners; she would gladly fib in this case. "What matters is that we're in this together. I know I haven't been lending you as much support as I should have, but I will try to do better!" Her silver eyes turned steely with resolution. "I don't care about being human; I care about being there for my friends."

Zero's face became impassive as she spoke slowly. "I turn you into some sort of ghoul without explanation, hurt your bond with your sister, break your nose, and you're worried about me?"

"Uhm…Yes?"

Zero scoffed, "You're not from Atlas, that's for sure." _And that's a good thing._ She couldn't help the smile on her face. "Rose, you're a mystery onto yourself. Good luck with that."

"I don't need luck," Ruby laughed. "Neither do you. We're awesome because we have each other! And Zero, don't feel like you need an end all be all purpose right away. It takes all the adventure out of life, as Yang would say."

Zero's eyebrow quirked, "So are you saying that you're boring, Ms. gonna-be-a-hero?"

She rolled off Zero with a hearty laugh, "Fuck off!"

"Oh, you've graduated to cursing!" The albino cooed. "Looks like I'm a good role model after all," she sniggered.

"So am I!" Ruby winked. "Don't think I haven't noticed the stash of sugar cookies under your bed."

Zero's head tilted at that, her expression confused, "Those aren't mine, I thought you put those there because you ran out of room under _your_ bed."

The red speedster looked skeptical for only a second and then realized that the would-be heiress wouldn't lie about something so minuet. "Then…who?"

"I stress eat sometimes, okay!?" A familiar, grating voice sounded behind them.

* * *

 **A/N: I'm just trying to keep things moving at this point. Sorry about the break-neck speed, but I can only handle this the way I know how. If you have any suggestions on what you think my story could benefit from, throw them at me! Your support will never go unnoticed, So Review, Fav, and/or Follow!**

 **See you guys sooner rather than later, hopefully!**


	8. Breakfast Pals

****A/N: Yoko Taro and Mounty Oum+ RT own Drakengard and Ruby respectively. Please thank them for letting me make this story by supporting the official release!****

* * *

 **Breakfast Pals**

"I stress eat sometimes, okay!?"

Ruby and Zero turned around the sharp, barking voice. Surprisingly, it wasn't Weiss. It was Blake, arms crossed and her uncharacteristically snarling face red as hell.

"All right!" Ruby cheered, seamlessly phasing into her light hearted self. "I got a new cookie-buddy!"

"…" Blake deflated immediately, her calmness was restored but she was no less embarrassed.

 _I don't understand how we don't have ants yet,_ Zero thought. "Stress eating?" There was mocking laughter glimmering in Zero's pink eyes, though she tried to look reserved. "I wouldn't have thought you the type." Come to think of it, what 'type' did she take Blake for being besides mysterious? Only then did it hit her how little she knew about Blake. As an impulsive thing, she asked, "So, what's your story, Golden-eyes?"

Blake seemed to go rigid for the smallest second before looking everywhere but at her teammates. "It's very long and it's not something I'm proud of. I won't give more than that." With that, she seemed to fully regain her mystique and blank expression.

"Fair enough," Zero muttered with slight annoyance. Her eyes glanced to Ruby whose face mirrored her own sly curiosity. She supposed neither of them could really be mad when they were holding back things, too. "So, what brings you up here? I expected either Ice Queen or Brimstone to come up here after us." She felt Ruby's shoulders twitch guiltily in unison with her own.

"They're too busy sulking," Blake said.

"…"

"…"

"…You know," Blake began with a roll of her shoulders, "I'm not here to confront you guys or anything." She looked down at her feet. "Everyone has a right to their secrets, I'd just thought I'd come and check on you both is all." A slight blush tinted her cheeks at the admission.

"So, you _can_ be an open book," Zero teased with a bit cheek in her tone. Internally, she was grateful that the dark-head had come to help even though they didn't know each other that well. Blake was prepared to fill her role as a teammate and not ask too many questions. Who knew how much her and Ruby would need to lean on that?

Speaking of Ruby, the redhead was a lot more direct with her gratitude. "Blaaake!" She wrapped herself around the taller girl's midsection, making her stumble just a bit in surprise. She looked up at her mysterious teammate, silver eyes shining. "Thanks!"

Blake's face was dangerously close to being scarlet. Whether it was from the strength of the hug or from so much open affection in one day was anyone's guess. Either way, Zero peeled her partner off of the poor girl.

"Don't kill your own teammates," the albino advised the redhead who was now hung over her shoulder.

"Sorry," Ruby apologized sheepishly as her partner set her back on her feet.

"No…problem," Blake huffed out as she regained her breath. She was rather eager to just move on with her day at this point. "I think…Ren's made breakfast in the lobby by now."

* * *

Ruby and Zero were half disappointed and half relieved that neither of their sisters were having breakfast with team JNPR when they arrived.

"Hello again!" Pyrrha waved to the duo and Blake with her usually sunny disposition.

"Hey guys," Jaune nodded to them with less energy but just as much warmness.

Nora was hard at work scarfing down pancakes and Li Ren was too busy trying to make pancakes faster than his partner could eat them to greet them properly.

"What's up guys?" Ruby said as took her seat. Blake just nodded to all four as she joined the table. Nora and Ren didn't react for the reasons mentioned previously.

"What's crackin' Sparta, Jaunedice, Jackhammer, Lotus," Zero acknowledged, Pyrrha, Jaune, Nora, and Ren respectively as she sat down.

The leader of team JNPR frowned at his less than flattering moniker. "Again, why am I Jaunedice?"

Zero just shrugged, "It fits." She spoke the plain truth. "I got others if you like." She began rattle them off on her fingers. "Farmhand, Toe head, the Lost Arc, Candy-ass, Foreskin, Baby-di-"

"I got it!" Jaune understandably cut her off as he threw his hands up in defeat. "Jaunedice it is."

"That's awful…" Blake mutter as she desperately tried to hide her oncoming smile. Pyrrha pretended not to hear it at all. From the little the had spoken with the white-head or her sister individually, she'd gathered that this was pretty much just Zero's personality at work and that she rarely meant anyone real harm.

Ruby gave the albino a soft yet disapproving look that said 'apologize'.

With a reluctant sigh, Zero did some clarifying. "Hey Jauney-boy, you know if I really hated your guts you wouldn't get a nickname at all, right?" She reasoned.

"Don't patronize me," the blonde groaned with his arms crossed, trying and failing to stay upset. "But thanks…" His blue eyes scanned the room a bit as he realized something. "Where are Weiss and Yang?"

Ruby and Zero Flinched involuntarily as their hearts gave a twinge of guilt once more.

"Um…" the red leader fumbled, her eyes avoiding pretty much everyone else's.

"They were really tired so they decided it'd be okay to sleep in," Zero shrugged almost-nonchalantly. "It is a Saturday after all." She reminded them, hoping it would be enough to make Jaune drop it.

The blonde leader frowned, obviously knowing there was more to it than that, but choosing to let it go anyway.

With expert timing, Pyrrha chimed in with some light conversation. "So Ruby, Zero, Blake…Do you think you can handle Doctor Oobleck's test on Monday?" She asked the question as if offering to help in the same breath.

Just then, Zero's pink eyes widened as she waved his hand and said, "Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait! …That fast-talking quack's a _doctor_?" One of her eyebrows was raised in disbelieving. Lord knows she wouldn't trust that spaz with her life.

"Uuuhh...yes?" Ruby countered wondering if she wasn't the one who was crazy.

"Where have you been all this semester?" Jaune posed a fair point.

As the conversation got up and running, Ren eventually manage to outpace Nora's voracious eating habits and got everyone a plate. And eventually him and Nora could join the chatter.

But Yang and Weiss never did show up to interrogate their sisters.

* * *

 **A/N: Yes, It's back! For a while at least. I hope you enjoyed a little levity after the drama. Sorry it's taken this long and that it's so short but as I've probably mention this before, I have other hobbies outside of this. Still, I should update a bit more frequently now that I have a system in place.** **Check my profile for said system if you haven't already, plz.**

 **Also, I'd like to genuinely thank** **Patrick the observer** **for getting the gears turning again and I hope they continue to enjoy the story along with all my wonderful audience.**

 **Read, Fav, Follow, Review! Thanks a million for all that you do!**


	9. Bitter Sweet

**A/N: Drakengard is property of Yoko Taro and RWBY is property of Mounty Oum+ Roosterteeth! Please support the official release!**

* * *

 **Bitter Sweet**

"Because who spends 12 years getting a P.H.D. for fun!?" Jaune argued.

"Teachers aren't doctors! You aren't making any sense! Stop trying to confuse me!" Zero projected her reasoning boisterously.

"A lot of the professors here have doctorates!"

"Why would someone who has a doctorate waste it on teaching if it could be helped!"

"This is the most scholarly either them have been, I think," Blake noted with an almost-smirk.

Now that breakfast was eaten, Jaune and Zero had moved over to the couch where they could 'chat' and not hurt those around them with their exaggerated hand gestures.

"I don't think I've ever seen Jaune come out of his shell this much," Pyrrha commented to the others still at the table. Her finger slowly went to her chin in thought. "It's almost a little worrying…"

"Low sugar tolerance?" Ruby offered an explanation with a shrug. "On the occasions when even _I've_ had too many cookies and had a sugar rush, I pretty much felt like I can do anything." Those memories of sugar overload were a little hazy… and held whispers of chaos and mischief. But it made her face contort into a wistful grin.

"I see someone's feeling better," Pyrrha murmured from her seat beside her.

"Hm?" The shorter redhead perked up at the utterance, looking to Pyrrha at her side.

"Oh nothing," Pyrrha shook her head dismissively. She usually tried to avoid fibbing, but this matter was especially delicate. When the two teams idly chattered at lunch, the warrior couldn't help but notice that Ruby had a mask on. There was no reason for the others on her team to notice it, but she did. The warrior knew what it was like to put up a peppy, happy front so that those around you didn't feel bad. She'd done it for most of her life. Up until she arrived at Beacon at least. That was why if Ruby was genuinely happy for the moment, Pyrrha was happy for her.

As the white noise of the argument between yellow and white continued, Ren pondered Ruby's theory aloud. "In my haste to make enough pancakes for everyone-" He glanced at Nora who gave shameless purr. "-I probably did miscalculate the sugar proportions for the syrup."

Not the least bit troubled, the hammer-wielder of team JNPR slapped the table in her enthusiasm. "Another JNPR-weekend-breakfast success!" She looked excitedly at Ruby. "I _told_ you we were fun breakfast-buddies!"

After team JNPR was formed, Nora made Ren's culinary gift apparent to her teammates almost immediately. The pink-eyed man, considerate as he was, offered to cook for his teammates on the weekends when he wouldn't be rushed to work his magic before class. It was nice to end the week with some real cuisine instead of the pleasant (yet clearly synthetic) food the school offered. Nora had randomly gave verbal invitations to said weekend breakfasts more than once during their lunch breaks.

Ruby giggled, "Sorry for not taking the invite so-… Actually, it was Blake's idea." As she spoke the last bit, she itched her cheek. "I've been a little preoccupied up to now…" She defeated the nagging urge to look away from the others.

"It was just a thought," the dark-head said noncommittally, a beat of pink coming back to her face. It was just a random thing she remembered to bring a little more levity to a morning with a rather rough start.

"Sure," Ruby chuckled at her teammate's unnecessary bashfulness. The redhead knew that her team and JNPR's could have had a lot more fun regularly if she'd only tried to snap out of her funk more often. _I wish I could just make whatever's happening go away already._ Her silver eyes looked to still-arguing couple of goofballs on the couch and felt warm. _But this is a nice break._

"Well whatever the reason," Pyrrha replied, "We're glad you guys could make it." Nora and Ren smiled and nodded in agreement. They thankfully didn't make a remark about Yang or Weiss' absence. "And I don't think what's going on over there," the taller redhead nodded towards the fiasco happening on the sofa, "has anything to do with sugar. Not if Jaune ate Pumpkin Pete's cereal as often as he said he did…" She didn't care if her face was on; that cereal was not good for any _living creature_.

"Sugar or no sugar, nothing powers up a Jack-hammer like flapjacks!" Nora declared with a rub of her belly. She was clearly found of the moniker Zero had given her.

At Nora's remark, a thought came to the man with a pink stripe in his hair. "Not that I mind it," Ren suddenly interjected, "but I would like to know why Zero feels the need to nickname everyone almost immediately." He didn't particularly mind being called 'Lotus' but it would still be nice to know why.

"She says she's always been like that," Ruby said as she recounted talking with her partner about it briefly. Her couldn't help noticing that Blake lean in at that along with the rest of the table. The redhead had definitely noticed that the albino had a way of getting people interested in her one way or another. _If that wasn't true I still couldn't blame them for being curious. She calls Ozpin and Glynda, 'the Wiz' and 'Sugar-tits' when they're not around, after all._ Trying not to interrupt her own thoughts with a giggle fit, she went on to explain her partner's naming habits.

"It's about not being fake, you see? Zero only gives people names that fit. Even her name is honest; that's why she's Zero…" The memories of the girl's own rants against herself threaten to sadden her. _She is_ not _nothing!_ She didn't let her straight face falter."As in 'zero nonsense'. If you have certain flaws, strengths, or traits, it's something you should be able to own in front anybody. Whether your title is metaphorical or just plain…blunt." Her eyes looked to the back of Jaune's head briefly. "She wants everyone to feel inclined to fly their true colors."

"So, it's matter of inward and outward harmony," Ren said thoughtfully. "I can respect that." He nodded in approval.

"If I count all the people I've meet who probably wished I wasn't me," Nora sniggered mischievously.

"I'm even more glad to have meet her then," Pyrrha said with a small smile. "It seems harder and harder to meet people who value honesty these days."

Blake seem to fold into herself, saying nothing as her crossed arms tightened their hold on one another. Her expression didn't change but her eyes looked…colder. Ruby politely pretended not to notice. It was the least she could do since Blake hadn't prodded her or Zero.

The redhead tapped her fingers on her pant-leg as the main problem reared its again. The crimson leader looked to the back of her partner's animatedly bobbing head. Ruby and Zero still had a sinister dilemma…and two sisters who were scared for them. But what could they honestly do with how little they knew?

 _I hope we can do more than just wait for something to happen again…_

* * *

 **A/N: It has come to my attention that I may or may not have used the term "lobby" correctly. It would probably have been more apt to say student lounge. But the title would have had nearly as good a ring to it, yeah?**

 **Anyway, I would like to thank** **PatricktheObserver** **again for their feedback and insight as well as providing/predicting ideas for the future. I think it's safe to say you've done more observe at this point, which is most appreciated.**

 **On a final note, if any of you who are wanting a little more melodrama, it should at least get a little bit thicker next chapter**

 **Read Fav, Follow, Review! Thanks a million for all that you do!**


	10. Eclipse of the Hearts

**A/N: Drakengard and RWBY belong to Yoko Taro and Mounty Oum+RT! Support the official release!**

* * *

 **Eclipse of the Hearts**

Yang was still in her sleeping clothes. Her feet were pressed against the wall while her golden locks spilled over the edge of the bed and her purple eyes searched the bottom of the top bunk for answers. Where was the sister she had come to know for 15 long years? Why had she been replaced with a near perfect copy that just seemed the slightest bit off? One that seemed to be missing that dazzling smile more often than not?

Weiss sat on the bottom bunk across from her, nearly expressionless. The heiress could be perfectly stoic when she wanted to be. Her icy exterior would prevent anyone from reading her troubled thoughts perfectly. Right now, she hated that. Currently, her mind was in a place of fright and confusion for her family, just like Yang's was. Yet, what was to be done

As if on cue, the blonde bruiser broke the silence.

"You know," she sighed heavily. "When Ruby was born, I made a promise to myself that I'd try my hardest to protect her." Her eyes didn't leave the wood canvas above her but she did smile. "She was just so cute, you know? And I thought to myself, 'Whoa, I get to boss somebody around!' She chuckled at her younger self's naivete. "But I could never really bring myself to do it. From the moment I saw her, I've been putty in her hands. Because of that, I was always next to her." Grief slowly stabbed her voice. "I was like this safety net that was always nearby when she got too in over her head. Maybe that's why I don't know what to do now that she's pushing me aside…"

As if snapping out of a trance, she sat upright remembering where she was and who she was with. "Sorry, Weiss!" She gave a forced chuckle as she tried to stealthily wipe away a budding tear. "I know you didn't ask for my life story."

"It's okay," Weiss shook her head tiredly. "You didn't bother me." The whitehead didn't think the blonde meant to open up to her like that. However, the tiny flutter in her chest made her feel glad for it. As if feeling obliged to do the same, she tentatively spilled her own feelings.

"I don't think I can say _exactly_ the same things about Zero," she hummed as her arms crossed. "Not because she's adopted but because she's…

"A rapscallion?" Yang offered lightly with a teasing smile.

"I was going to say _thug_ ," the heiress finished with a gentle scoff. Sometimes, even that descriptor felt generous. "But she's always been _my_ thug. She has this weird way of forcing me to enjoy myself. " _She reminds me that not everything in my life is refuse_ , _that_ I'm _not refuse._

People looking from the outside would only see a prissy punk who looked down on everything that wasn't up to her standards. But the truth of the matter was that Weiss was just angry. At her father, at her mother, Whitley, Winter, their enemies and what her name had become. Zero was different because she knew who she was and didn't care about others disdain. Weiss would have given anything to be that brave. The faux heiress wanted to help her get there; that was why she loved her. "And she's always been honest."

Silence permeated the air between them again as lamented together. Lamented and, in a small way, grieved. It was a given that people had to change, including their siblings. They just hoped it wouldn't be this fast or this hard.

Weiss was suddenly hit with an epiphany. Yes, they had to change. No, they couldn't choose how their family changed. But they could choose how they changed in response. Maybe, just maybe, this was Zero's way of pushing her to take her advice.

 _Learn to give other people a chance!_

Weiss looked at the drooping blonde from her. She looked like she could use a chance. "Hey, Yang?" The timidness in her speech almost made her cringe.

Purple eyes curiously raised themselves to the heiress. "Yeah?"

The heiress swallowed lightly. Weiss hoped she wasn't making a mistake. "I'm pretty hungry for some non-cafeteria food. Do you want to go somewhere in town with me?"

She instantly regretted it as Yang broke out her most obnoxious grin. "Oh Weiss!" She gasped with her hands collasped together. "I know I'm a dashing rogue but please contain yourself!"

"Shush!" The Schee hissed with crossed arms and scarlet cheeks. "I'm offering to feed you. Yes or no!?"

The brawler gave an amused chuckle before her mouth pressed into the thin line as her eyes fretted. "I would like that but-"

"They'll still be here when she get back," Weiss intuitively interrupted her. "It's been a few hours; I'm sure that they're ignoring us now." Her teeth almost gnashed. "Let's give them their space and we can get the jump on them when we come back." Though she scowled, she was half-kidding. Barely.

Yang genuinely laughed before her mouth twisted thoughtfully. A trickle of silence passed by as an internal grapple flickered in her eyes. Until finally-

"Okay, let's go."

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 **A/N: Read, Fav, Follow, Review! Thanks a million for all that you do!**


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